Week in Geek: Too much fun with Tesla Coils

Hopefully you remember Inspector Gadget as fondly as I do, especially the memorable theme song expertly recreated by these Tesla coils. You’ve probably seen your fair share of “singing” Tesla coil videos, but this one was too good for me to resist. Tesla coils were invented by their namesake Nikola Tesla, the pioneer of alternating current (AC) and the basis of our electrical grid today. Side note: check out this summary of Tesla’s life and his contributions to our modern technological lifestyle, courtesy of The Oatmeal.

OK, back to the science. Tesla coils are modified transformers (electrical devices that can increase or decrease the voltage of their electricity supply) that produce much higher voltages than traditional transformers. This video walks you through the various components of a Tesla coil and how they work to produce the sparks you see. This increase in voltage can be used to transmit power wirelessly…or play the theme song from one of my childhood cartoon shows. These “singing” Tesla coils are further modified to control the voltage and frequency of the sparks emitted, thereby producing the “notes” you hear. As the Internet already knows, the possibilities are endless.